A View From the Stacks: Jamie's Journal Week 4

Our Library Interns have headed off for the summer. They are missed and certainly not forgotten. They've left us with some great journal entries written during the course of the summer. I hope you'll enjoy reading about their adventures and efforts over the next few weeks. - L. C.

Walter P. Chrysler Jr. with former Museum Director Dr. David Steadman and an unidentified woman.

 

For Whom in Which Will?

        Continuing on my journey through Walter P. Chrysler Jr’s records, I came across another interesting bump in the road: his will. After a life filled with the constant buying and selling of art, by 1988 Walter had accumulated quite a distinguished personal collection.  Upon his death in September of 1988, it was assumed that he would donate most, if not all, of this collection to the museum he worked so hard to build and maintain.

          In his will, Walter named the Chrysler Museum as beneficiary of over 75% of the Chrysler family trust fund along with $1.6 million for endowment and 17 of his remaining personal works of art.  Also in the will, of the 785 works of art from Walter’s personal collection on loan to the museum, 768 were named to Jack, Walter’s nephew.  Many people, including the Chrysler Museum’s director at the time, Dr. David Steadman were surprised by this decision.  It was reported that before his death, he led his closest friends to believe that he would leave the majority of his artwork collection to the museum.  So, what did he truly want?

       Here is where it gets really interesting.  There was a second, unsigned will that emerged months after his death.  If signed, this will would have given most of Walter’s personal collection to the museum instead of to his nephew, Jack.  751 works, on top of other money given to Jack, would have gone to the museum.  Walter died two days prior to an appointment designated for signing the will.  If the contents of this will were what he truly wanted, why wouldn’t he have taken care of it already? Was his death just unfortunate timing?

           And another thing. Thomas H. Willcox Jr., board of trustees president, said that Walter was an “avid writer of wills” and had made lots of unsigned wills in his life (Daily Press, 4/11/89).  So was this unsigned will just another one of those? We are fortunate enough to have a draft of this controversial, unsigned will in the Chrysler’s archives.

 

 - Jamie Sawyer, Summer 2011  Library Archives Intern